Mumbai, Dec 9 (ANI): A fire broke out in a restaurant on the 21st floor of the Taj Hotel's new building early this morning.

According to fire officials, no casualty has been reported.

Smoke was seen rising from the hotel.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, but hotel sources said that the fire caused due to faulty wiring.

The hotel was adjacent to the wing attacked by terrorists on November 26. (ANI)

Islamabad, Dec.9 (ANI): The Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) has decided to renew its offer of full co-operation with India, including intelligence-sharing, assistance in investigations and the formation of a joint commission, and vowed not to allow Pakistani soil to be used for terrorist activity against anyone.

The meeting of the DCC was held on Monday and was presided over by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani at the Prime Minister's House. It was the first in nine years that it had met.

Though India has been blaming Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba for the attacks, the DCC said it was satisfied with the preparedness of the armed forces to defend Pakistan.

According to the Daily Times, Gilani directed all Pakistani departments to continue investigations on the basis of information so far shared between India and Pakistan.

The committee agreed that the country's actions in this context should be in line with Pakistani law.

Sources said the committee discussed the prevailing security situation in detail and relations with India in the wake of the Mumbai attacks. It also discussed a controversial telephone call purportedly made by the Indian foreign minister to President Asif Ali Zardari.

The sources also said that Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Shuja Pasha briefed the meeting on the security situation.

The top political and military leadership attended the talks.

"Pakistan rejects terrorism in all forms and manifestations, and recognizes that action against terrorism is integral to its core interests," Information Minister Sherry Rehman told reporters after the DCC meeting.

She said the committee was of the view that South Asia's security and stability was in the best interests of the people of the region.

"It is therefore imperative to proactively defuse the prevailing tensions (with India)," she said.

Those who attended the meeting include Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, National Security Adviser Major General (r) Mehmood Ali Durrani, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman General Tariq Majid and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. (ANI)

Islamabad, Dec.9 (ANI): The Pakistan army confirmed late on Monday it has begun an operation against banned organizations in the wake of the attacks in Mumbai last month, but did not name any organizations.

"There have been arrests and investigations are ongoing," the Daily Times quoted a statement released by the ISPR, as saying.

The ISPR said that further details of the operations would be released once preliminary investigations had been completed.

The White House said on Monday that Pakistan has taken "some positive steps" since the terrorist strikes in Mumbai but called for continued co-operation with India and the United States to thwart possible follow-on attacks.

Meanwhile in Washington, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has reiterated that the world must accept that Pakistan itself has been suffering at the hands of extremism.

In a long interview with Wolf Blitzer of CNN, Rice emphasized that the Pakistani government is committed to dealing with terrorists, "but we are awaiting action, and that action needs to take place soon".

Asked if the civilian government had complete control, Rice replied, "We treat the Pakistani Government as an integrated and unified government, and I heard nothing in Pakistan that suggested that there were divisions in this regard between the army and the government."

"This is an elected civilian government; it has a kind of legitimacy that a Pakistani government has not had since 1999. And I believe that it is in actually a stronger position because of that to act," she added.

Rice said there are some 'concrete steps' that Pakistan needs to take "urgently, quite aside from a lot of restructuring that is going to have to be done".

She said the US is sharing information and working with both Pakistan and India. (ANI)

Dharamsala/New Delhi, Dec 3 (ANI): Tibetans-in-exile in Dharamsala held a candlelight vigil as a mark of protest against last week's terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

The procession began from a monastery in the lower part of the city and ended at the Martyrs' Memorial.

People of all ages, with a candle in their hands participated in the protest and raised slogans to vent their ire against terrorism.

"We came here to express solidarity and to show courage to the people who live behind that is the families of victims of blasts," said Tenzin Dhondup, a Buddhist monk.

Meanwhile, scores of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) staff also staged a candlelight vigil in New Delhi to show solidarity with the victims of the Mumbai assault.

"This is a moment of great grief. Many civilians and soldiers have sacrificed their lives. We organised this symbolic candle light march to memorise them," said Harsh, a doctor.

Holding banners that read 'A March of Hope, A March of Peace', the doctors and many admirers of their crusade in the cause of peace participated in this movement. (ANI)